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    • How Rashee Rice’s injury affects Travis Kelce and Xavier Worthy
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    How Rashee Rice’s injury affects Travis Kelce and Xavier Worthy

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    INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs were backed on their own eight-yard line. On third-and-6, the Chiefs needed a first down to get the game going late in the fourth quarter. Xavier Worthy made a shallow cross up the middle and Mahomes hit the speedy wide receiver with a 15-yard pass to secure the 17-10 victory against the Los Angeles Chargers.

    The big first-down catch is exactly what Kansas City needs from the now-depleted Chiefs wide receiving corps going forward.

    Kansas City improved to 4-0 on Sunday. Yet the consecutive Super Bowl champions suffered a major blow.

    “Rashee Rice will have his knee examined with an MRI on Monday,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said after the game. “I’m sure it’s not as good as we want.”

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    Rice injured his right knee trying to tackle Chargers cornerback Kristian Fulton after an interception by Patrick Mahomes in the first quarter. As Rice moved in for the tackle, Mahomes accidentally collided with the wideout as he attempted to take down Fulton.

    After the game, Rice was helped to the sideline and eventually taken to the locker room. The Chiefs shut Rice out of the game in the first half.

    “I tried to fire it at Travis (Kelce) on his body. I knocked him over a bit. I turned the ball over,” Mahomes said of the play that injured Rice. “I thought Rashee made a really good play. I tried to tackle the guy and obviously rolled towards him, but if I just don’t turn the ball over, that never happens.”

    The Chiefs are not expecting positive MRI results on Rice’s knee.

    “Guys were all hanging together. I feel terrible for Rashee,” Reid said. “He’s having a fantastic year.”

    Rice entered Week 4 with an NFL-high 24 catches. He was the team leader in both catches and receiving yards (288). He emerged early this year as the team’s top pass catcher, even ahead of veteran tight end Travis Kelce. Rice’s absence could be a crippling blow to Kansas City’s quest for a historic third straight Super Bowl victory.

    But the Leaders have won four straight games by one score to start the regular season, and 10 in a row since last year. They find ways to win with the play-calling of Reid, the best quarterback in the NFL and the only tight end in NFL history with seven consecutive 1,000-yard seasons (2016-22) in Kelce.

    The Mahomes-Kelce connection was revived on Sunday. Kelce, who has had a quiet start to the year by his standards, was targeted nine times and the tight end tallied seven catches for 89 yards as the Rice-less Chiefs offense needed a go-to target.

    “With Rashee leaving early, you’ve got to put Kelce back in a situation where he’s pulling in big catches,” Mahomes said. “The whole Kelce thing in general doesn’t worry me. I know when we need him, he’s going to make plays.”

    Kelce will likely continue to achieve “big” goals even in Rice’s absence. However, Worthy could emerge as the go-to wide receiver. Worthy collected three catches, 73 yards and a touchdown in the win, including a 54-yard touchdown reception. The speedster told USA TODAY Sports that the Chiefs are an ideal fit for him. Now is a good time to demonstrate that.

    “In our reception room, it’s the next guy,” Worthy said. “Praying for our brother. But I feel like we have a lot of guys who can play in key moments.”

    Without Rice, the next man in the receiving room figures to be Worthy.

    Kansas City’s passing attack will need a veteran tight end, and their rookie first-round pick must continue to pick a wide receiver if they hope to have a shot at being the first NFL team ever to three-peat as a Super Bowl -champion.

    Follow Tyler Dragon of USA TODAY Sports on X @TheTylerDragon.

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